How to upload staking coordinates to the site map | TraceAir Help Center

How to upload staking coordinates to the site map

Import your surveyor's coordinate data as digital pins on the site map — giving your team a quick visual reference for stake locations from any device.

Written by Raymond Fuorry
March 31, 2026

What is Upload Shots?

Upload Shots lets you import surveyor coordinate data into TraceAir as interactive pins on the site map. Your field team can then view stake locations, offsets, and instructions directly from their phone or tablet — without needing the original survey data collector.

Upload Shots is accessed from the Markups toolbar in the top navigation bar of TraceAir Office (office.traceair.net). It accepts CSV and GeoJSON files.

Important: Upload Shots is a reference aid only. It does not replace your surveyor. Many sites have legal, contractual, or safety requirements that mandate a licensed surveyor re-stake after disturbance regardless of any digital record. Always follow the requirements for your project.

Availability: Gold and Platinum scans only.

What can be digitally staked?

Upload Shots supports staking data from every construction phase:

Boundary & Control — property corners, legal boundary lines, and permanent control hubs
Rough Grading — cut/fill stakes across pad and road subgrade areas
Underground Utilities — offset stakes for storm drain, sanitary sewer, water main, and other buried infrastructure
Blue Tops — final grade stakes set flush to finished design elevation along road centerlines and pad areas
Surface Layout — offset stakes for top-of-curb, flow line, back-of-curb, and building pad corners
As-Builts — post-construction verification shots confirming utilities, pads, and roads were built to spec

File format: CSV or GeoJSON?

TraceAir accepts two file types. The right choice depends on how much information you need visible on each pin.

CSV — Coordinates only

CSV is best for getting points on the map quickly. The pin popup will display the point name and elevation — nothing else.

Required columns: Name, Northing, Easting

Optional column: Elevation — must be a numeric value. Use -99999 if a point has no elevation. Text in this field will cause an upload error.

Coordinate system: Must match your TraceAir project's local Northing/Easting coordinate system — the same system your surveyor's data collector outputs. Raw latitude/longitude will not work for CSV uploads.

Example CSV file:

Name,Northing,Easting,Elevation
CP-101,728743.3335,1958066.2953,460.82
GR-205,728332.2183,1959701.9209,396.62
SS-1002,727763.1665,1956061.8139,492.45
BT-301,727242.9342,1954906.3040,481.50
CG-410,725896.1561,1955695.7410,500.33
AB-501,727354.6629,1959758.3177,451.83

GeoJSON — Full metadata (recommended)

Use GeoJSON when you need description text on pins — offsets, cut/fill instructions, station numbers, phase labels. GeoJSON is the only format that supports metadata visible in the pin popup.

Coordinate system: WGS84 (global longitude/latitude). TraceAir handles the conversion to your project's local coordinate system automatically on import.

Coordinate order: [longitude, latitude] — not [latitude, longitude]. This is a common source of errors.

Required properties:

"name" — pin label
"elevation" — elevation value
"description" — free-text displayed in the pin popup; use \n for line breaks

Example GeoJSON file:

{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [-79.1413, 35.7522]
      },
      "properties": {
        "name": "SS-MH-300",
        "elevation": "492.45",
        "description": "Phase: Underground Utilities (Sanitary Sewer)\nFeature: MH (Manhole)\nOffset: On Center\nRim Elev: 48.50\nInvert Elev: 40.10\nPipe: 8\" PVC SDR-35\nInstruction: C-8.40 INV (Cut to Invert)\nStation: 2+68\nNotes: Downstream MH — SS main trunk continues S"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Understanding your project's coordinate reference system (CRS)

Before uploading, check your project's CRS to ensure your file coordinates will land in the correct location. Open the Elevation & Coordinates tool in TraceAir and place a single point anywhere on the site. The popup will show either a named CRS or "Assumed."

Named CRS

If your project shows a named CRS — for example, NAD83(2011) / North Carolina (ftUS) (EPSG:6543) — your coordinate system is well-defined.

For CSV uploads: Your Northing/Easting coordinates must be in the named CRS shown. This is typically the same system your surveyor's data collector outputs.

For GeoJSON uploads: Provide coordinates in WGS84 (longitude/latitude). TraceAir converts to the named CRS automatically.

Assumed CRS

If your project shows "Assumed," the coordinate system is a localized (custom) CRS. This is common on older projects onboarded before standardized CRS workflows.

For CSV uploads: Coordinates must exactly match the project's localized CRS — not a standard EPSG projection. Uploading CSV data converted from a standard EPSG code will result in points landing offset from their correct positions. Confirm your surveyor's data collector is outputting in the exact same local system.

For GeoJSON uploads: Provide coordinates in WGS84. TraceAir handles the conversion to the Assumed CRS internally, and points will land in the correct location. GeoJSON is the recommended approach for Assumed CRS projects.

How to upload

To upload staking coordinates to your site map, follow these steps:

Open your TraceAir project at office.traceair.net.
Click the Markups toolbar in the top navigation bar.
Click Upload Shots from the dropdown menu.
Select your .csv or .geojson file and click Open.
A coordinate system confirmation modal will appear — for example: "Uploaded shots should be in NAD83(2011) / North Carolina (ftUS) (EPSG:6543). This is not an error. TraceAir is confirming the CRS it has detected for your project. Click OK.
Enter a Group Name in the next prompt (e.g., "Phase 3 — Sanitary Sewer"). This organizes your pins into a named folder on the map.
Click OK. Your pins populate instantly.
Click any pin to view its data, add a comment, or copy a shareable link.

Tip: Upload each construction phase as a separate group. This keeps the map organized and lets you assign distinct colors per group for easy visual identification.

Assigning pin colors

Pin colors are set per-pin after upload (not during upload). To change a pin's color:

Click any pin from your uploaded group.
Click the Edit (pencil) icon in the popup.
In the Edit Public Markup panel, find Icon and Color.
Select a color and click Save Public.

Suggested color assignments for construction staking:

Blue — Blue Tops / Potable Water
Red — Electrical / Power
Green — Sewer / Drain Lines
Yellow — Gas / Oil
Purple — Reclaimed Water / Irrigation
Orange — Communications / General
Aqua — Curb & Surface Layout
Grey — As-Builts / Verified

Frequently asked questions

Can I convert my CSV to GeoJSON myself?

There is no reliable self-serve online tool for this conversion. Online converters including geojson.io do not understand local Northing/Easting coordinate systems and produce files with null geometry that TraceAir cannot read. If you have a CSV and need GeoJSON, contact your TraceAir Customer Success specialist for help with the conversion.

My pins landed in the wrong location. What happened?

This is almost always a coordinate system mismatch. For CSV uploads, verify that your coordinates match the project's CRS exactly. For projects with an Assumed CRS, try uploading as GeoJSON (WGS84) instead — TraceAir handles the conversion automatically.

Can I delete uploaded pins?

Yes. Click any pin, then click the trash icon to delete it. You can also delete an entire group of uploaded pins from the Markups panel.

Can I upload latitude/longitude in a CSV?

No. CSV uploads require Northing/Easting coordinates in your project's local coordinate system. If you only have latitude/longitude data, use the GeoJSON format instead — it accepts WGS84 coordinates natively.

Does Upload Shots replace my surveyor?

No. Upload Shots is a reference aid for field teams. Many sites have legal, contractual, or safety requirements that mandate a licensed surveyor re-stake after disturbance. Always follow the requirements for your project.